By Mark Seavy 

A number of festivals and conventions in the style of Comic-Con, but focused on a specific brand, are deepening fans’ ties with the IPs. And as fandom becomes more important to consumers than ever before, the events catering to these communities are increasing in size and scope. 

The gathering of brands and fans is not new. In fact, the first comic book convention (Comiccon New York) took place in 1964. But the sheer number of them, and the breadth of fandoms they address, presents a growing opportunity for the licensing industry. 

For example, Pokémon Co. will host its first fanfest, PokémonXP (August 28-29), in San Francisco to coincide with the brand’s world championship (August 28-30). The event will be replete with artist panels and exclusive products, including Jazwares’ Pokémon/Squishmallows plush.  

The National Football League, meanwhile, is weighing launching its own fanfest following its successful appearances at the three-year-old Fanatics Fest. The Fanatics event, which the sports lifestyle company says costs about $60-$90 million to put on, attracted 200,000 people to the Javits Center in New York in July. That increased from 125,000 attendees a year earlier and from 70,000 attendees in 2024.  

For example, Pokémon Co. will host its first fanfest, PokémonXP (August 28-29), in San Francisco to coincide with the brand’s world championship (August 28-30). The event will be replete with artist panels and exclusive products, including Jazwares’ Pokémon/Squishmallows plush.  

The National Football League, meanwhile, is weighing launching its own fanfest following its successful appearances at the three-year-old Fanatics Fest. The Fanatics event, which the sports lifestyle company says costs about $60-$90 million to put on, attracted 200,000 people to the Javits Center in New York in July. That increased from 125,000 attendees a year earlier and from 70,000 attendees in 2024.  

Additionally, BookCon was revived by Reed Expositions in New York in April after a six-year absence, with a focus on romance and romantasy books. The event attracted 25,000 book lovers. 

The expansion of these festivals and conventions is in large part being driven by social media, where fans and brands increasingly meet to deepen connections.  

For example, the large crowd at this year’s BookCon in New York coincided with the rise of TikTok’s seven-year-old Booktok community. Booktok features content creators who post video reviews, discuss film and television adaptations of beloved books, and generally engage in conversations about literature (often with an emphasis on young adult fiction or romantasy titles). 

That strong community across social media also exists for Sky Castle Toys’ Sticki Rolls, which feature a roll of holographic stickers that can be applied to bracelets. Content creators and designs are featured on a Sticki Rolls YouTube channel that has garnered 1.8 million subscribers. The brand, which launched in 2025, recently debuted a third sticker series that included 600 new stickers featuring Jazwares’ Squishmallows brand (Jazwares is distributing the product). The launch was recently spotlighted at a fan event at the Chillhouse spa/café/nail salon in New York (August 7-8). 

“Brands see the value of the events, which may be of different sizes, but share the same sentiment in that you can engage and meet other fans,” said Michelle Wong, SVP of Global Marketing at Jazwares. “That is what creates a devotion and passion for brands that can last a very long time. The fans have a certain expectation of what the [brand] experience will be like, and we must dream that up and deliver.” 

Fan expectations have evolved over time, however, and as a result fan events and conventions have also had to change.  

 The first comic book convention in New York attracted 100 people. Since then, events like San Diego Comic-Con have expanded to encompass all things pop culture and include a mixture of panels, exclusive merchandise, and celebrity appearances, with attendance topping 130,000.  

The success of those larger conventions has inspired more focused events like Star Trek Las Vegas at the Rio Hotel, which has been running for more than 40 years and took place this past weekend (August 6-9). And then there is the Historic Miniatures Gaming Society’s Historicon, which has been running for 32 years. It features military-related tournaments, tabletop miniature games, merchandise, hobby classes, and lectures that attracted 2,600 people and 62 exhibitors in 2025.  

But not all fan events last for decades. Hasbro hosted Hascon in Providence, RI in 2017 as a forum for its IPs, but did not return for a second year. 

“These events can drive high engagement across public relations and social media and expand into new platforms like TikTok Shop Live,” said Ulta Beauty CEO Kecia Steelman, whose chain had its second Ultra Beauty World event in Orlando, FL in April, featuring 3,000 attendees and 240 national brands. “While these [events] attract dedicated fans, they also provide an experience that you might not find in our stores.”